The Spoken Word

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  ² He was in the beginning with God.  ³ All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  ⁴ In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  ⁵ And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. … ¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. – John 1:1-5,14

John uses the Greek word logos to describe Jesus “in the beginning” or before time began.  This is defined as the spoken word.  John is describing Jesus as being with God before time and that Jesus is God’s spoken Word.

In the creation story in Genesis 1, God’s first spoken words are “Let there be light” (v3).  The first act of God as His Spirit hovered over the dark, formless and void earth (v2) was to bring light.  Without light, darkness could not be identified as all was dark.  John tells us that this spoken Word has life and that life is “the light of men.” 

From the beginning, the cause of God was to bring life and light to a dark, formless and void world.  In the beginning, God spoke light into the world and there was light.  The heart of anyone who isn’t close to God is dark, formless and void.  God tells Jeremiah this about a man’s heart, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jer 17:9).  David wrote “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’  They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good.” (Ps 14:1).  Jesus said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within and defile a man.” (Mk 7:20-23).  In the root of every person’s heart is darkness and God reaches out to bring light in the darkness.  God’s Spirit hovers over everyone calling them to Himself so they can see the light of life.  

God brought the Light to man.  His spoken Word took form in the man Jesus.  He provided a way for people to come to God.  Jesus was the action of God’s spoken Word for there to be light in the darkness.  From the beginning, before time, Jesus was the cause of God.  He came to reveal God to all people. 

But, “the darkness did not comprehend it”.  People rejected God’s spoken Word and ultimately crucified Him.  While it appears that God allowed His cause, His action of spoken Word, to be crucified, the fact is God’s spoken Word to bring light in the darkness was for the Light, Jesus, to be crucified.  Without that death, there would be no light for mankind, there would be no knowledge of the life of God without the Light, and man would only know darkness and be doomed eternally to separation from God.

If there is pain in your life anywhere, you can be certain that there isn’t light.  Invite a loving God to bring the Light to that area of your life so you can see the darkness.  Sacrifice the source of the darkness that lies in your desperately wicked heart and ask Jesus, God’s action of spoken Word, to change it so you can move into God’s Light.